The burgundy 1951 Mercury coupe that Mike Scheidel of Burlington has been driving for nearly two decades is a one-off custom. It’s been heavily-modified with elements from at least five other brands, including a 283-cubic-inch V8 engine from a 1957 Chevrolet, and lowered to appear old-school. Its headlights have been “Frenched;” that is, recessed.

Said Scheidel, “Kids ask me how fast does the car go? I say it’s not made to go fast, it’s made to look cool while you’re driving it.”

The Merc looks cool at a standstill, too. Scheidel spotted the car long before he bought it from late friend. “I saw that car in a body shop, stuffed in a corner, covered with dirt and dust and rust back in 1973,” he said. The lure was instantaneous. “I love the lines on the Mercurys – ’49 to ’51s are the king of customs.”
It wasn’t until 1991 that he was able to buy it, and restoration didn’t happen overnight. “You get working on them and sometimes you have to walk away before you take a hammer to ’em, so the Mercury took about eight years to put together and do with the help of some good friends. We got it mechanically in shape first,” Scheidel said.

In addition to the Chevy engine, the Mercury has taillights from a 1956 Packard, a front grill bar from a 1956 Dodge pickup, and hubcaps from a 1957 Cadillac. The front turn-signal lights are actually backup lights from a 1955 Oldsmobile. “I built it all to be pre-’60,” Scheidel said, reporting that Time Was Garage in New Hartford handled the body work and paint.

The Mercury’s interior features a dashboard filled with custom gauges and a console of Scheidel’s design, and it looks new because it pretty much is. “There was no interior in it,” Scheidel recalled of its condition upon purchase. “It was really gutted. It had the seats but they were really destroyed.”

Scheidel hasn’t forgotten the first time that he got to drive the Mercury. “We put it on the road in ’99. That was a happy day to finally after eight years get it on the road. It’s been a good car. It has its quirks like all old cars do. The carburetors have been rebuilt three times. and they’re just old,” he said.
It’s a “keeper,” though, that Scheidel plans to eventually pass on to his son.

In addition to owning a 1951 Mercury custom, Scheidel also has a restored 1940 Ford panel delivery truck and uses it to promote his avocation – the long-planned New England Auto Museum (neautomuseum.org.) He bought the Ford about seven years ago and he quickly put it on the road, but it wasn’t restored until two years ago.
The now dark blue truck came from a friend. “It didn’t look like this. It was three different colors of primer. The body needed work. It was a running vehicle,” Scheidel recalled, noting that it’s powered by a 5.0 liter engine from a Mustang.

Scheidel has been working on the proposed non-profit museum since filing incorporation papers in 2007. At least three possible sites (one in East Hartford and two in Bristol) have been considered. The location for the museum has now shifted to Norwalk. “We’ve gone through a lot of iterations. We’ve been offered a lot of property and then had it taken away,” said Scheidel, who is nonetheless optimistic that the museum will come to pass.

“We’re a grassroots, start from scratch (effort),” he said. “It’s been rough. Everybody likes the idea, thinks we should have it, but people have to put up the money.” The estimated cost of rehabbing one possible site in South Norwalk is $2-3 million. “It’s not cheap,” he added.

Nonetheless, he’s hopeful that the museum might be built and opened by July. It will feature antique cars from 1900 to 1960 and significant cars up to 1972. It will also detail Connecticut’s place in the development of automobiles.

The restoration of the 1940 Ford truck that promotes the museum was accomplished with the help of many entities. Bosco’s Automotive in Enfield did the actual rebuild, Penske Truck Collision Repair in East Hartford did the paint in exchange for promotion, PPG provided the paint. All of the contributors are noted on the rear of the truck.

The 78-year-old truck looks both sturdy and hefty. “Those were used by electricians and plumbers as utility trucks like your common, normal-day van is today,” Scheidel said. As a promo vehicle, it’s still serving a useful purpose.